After making it two wins from two outings, Cushendall now have their sights firmly set on progressing straight through to the Antrim SHC semi-finals.
The Ruairi Og’s enjoyed a facile 2-30 to 0-8 win over St Enda’s in their opening Group Two tie and they guaranteed a quarter–final berth at the very least with a 1-20 to 1-15 win over rivals Loughgiel at Dunsilly on Sunday evening.
If they avoid defeat against St John’s in their final group game, they’ll go straight through to the last four along with the winners of Group One, either Dunloy or Rossa.
Read more: Neil McManus masterclass helps Cushendall defeat Loughgiel in North Antrim derby
The second and third placed teams in each group will make up the quarter-finalists with the bottom two teams being eliminated.
Cushendall lost out to Rossa at the quarter-final stages in 2020 and Eoghan Campbell said they are determined to maintain their winning streak ahead of their clash with the Johnnies.
“It is probably more important than people realise, to be honest,” said Campbell.
“When the format came in, for the first two years, we were happy enough to get to the quarter-final and get that extra game, but it can go against you.
“It is a target for us to make the semi-final as it gives you a month off and maybe allows you to go down South to get a challenge game.
“I think people have seen for the last two years that getting into the semi-final is a big advantage.
“We’ve St John’s at home in our final game and they are in the same boat as ourselves and they’ll see it as a big opportunity to get to the semi-final as well.
“It is going to be a big game for both teams.”
Cushendall recovered from a sluggish start to overcome Loughgiel on Sunday with Campbell setting up his side’s only goal in the first half.
The Antrim skipper’s goal-bound shot was well saved by Chrissy O’Connell, but Francis McCurry managed to bundle the sliotar over the line.
It was a vital score as the Shamrocks had led by six at one stage in the first half, but their lead was cut to a single point at the break. Cushendall rattled off nine unanswered points in the second half with Neil McManus finishing as the game’s top scorer with 0-12.
“The goal was massive really,” reflected Campbell.
“If we hadn't got that goal, we might have gone in five or six points down at half-time. It might have been a bit much to ask in the second half - Loughgiel would have been able to just pick off the points.
“It put a dent in their momentum and it gave us a lift and settled us into the game. We pushed on from that.
“We got off to a sticky start, but we know what Loughgiel are going to bring in a Championship game. They are a great traditional hurling team and they brought a lot of intensity and workrate. It took us a while to get settled into the game.
“When we did, we started picking our points off and playing the way we wanted to play.
“When we found our rhythm, we got into a bit of a roll there in the second half and took over.
Loughgiel manager Hugh McCann, meanwhile, felt aggrieved that a second half goal was ruled out before Cushendall hit their purple patch.
Shay Casey’s goal was disallowed out after Colm McDonald deemed that Shan McGrath had thrown the ball in the build-up.
While McCann disagreed with the call, he also rued his side’s failure to prevent Cushendall’s goal before half-time which gave the eventual winners a foothold in the game.
“When Eoghan Campball starts to run through. . . that threat was always there,” said McCann.
“We tried to stop him from doing that. You could almost see it coming in a way.
“It was a big blow because we were winning a lot of battles all over the field and that goal brought them right back into it and gave them belief. It took us a long time to recover from that.
“We brought it back in the second half, but a couple of mistakes on our part and a couple of refereeing decisions went against us.
“He (Colm McDonald) said it was a throw ball when we scored a goal - I didn’t think it was. You always get some decisions that don’t go in your favour, but the referee did a very good job overall, he isn’t going to please everyone.”
Loughgiel host St Enda’s in their final group game and will still be expected to seal a quarter-final berth, but McCann isn’t taking anything for granted.
“We’ve came through two tough games against St John’s and Cushendall,” added the Loughgiel manager.
“St John’s are probably unlucky not to have won a Championship in the last few years and Cushendall are many people’s favourites for this year’s Championship, although you can’t rule out Dunloy.
“We’ve played two of the top teams in the county. We went to sleep a bit against St John’s. Against Cushendall, it was different - we brought the game to them and they responded well.
“We came back at them and we brought in the likes of James (McNaughton) and a few boys who were injured. We have to concentrate now on St Enda’s and take it from there. St Enda’s are a physical team and they’ll give us a tough time.
“We were able to give James (McNaughton) some game time to blow the cobwebs off. It was tough as he was only home from America last Friday, but he showed the quality he has with the goal and it was good to give him that game time before the St Enda’s game.”
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